Toe-to-toe with the top: Taulia Tagovailoa

No one gave the Terps a chance.

With Ohio State coming into College Park a perfect 10-0 and led by Heisman hopeful C.J. Stroud, Maryland found itself a heavy underdog, still searching for its first win since Oct. 22. The Terps didn’t secure that win, but they left Saturday night having earned some respect as the season draws towards a close. 

While a late turnover led to a touchdown that eliminated any hope of a miracle, Maryland football hung around from start to finish with No. 2 Ohio State. Although the Buckeyes prevailed with a 43-30 victory, Stroud wasn’t the quarterback who put on the show. 

Taulia Tagovailoa — who suffered through a pair of dismal performances to start November — had one of his best games as a Terp, bouncing back in a big way. The Terps’ signal caller finished the game 26-36 for 293 yards passing and accounted for three total touchdowns.

“I think we just did a better job of executing,” Tagovailoa said. “We actually picked up our tempo a lot. We played fast and I think that’s what we are good at.” 

On a day when he became Maryland’s all-time leading passer, Tagovailoa and company came up just shy of victory, but they didn’t go down quietly.

After the Buckeyes cut through the Maryland offense like butter to grab a 7-0 lead just minutes into the contest, Maryland stuck close. Back-to-back field goal drives coupled with some feisty stops out of Maryland’s defense set the Terps up to take the lead going into the break. 

Trailing 10-6 with just under five minutes to play in the first half, Tagovailoa engineered the Terps’ first touchdown drive of the game. Starting at their own 25, the offense marched on a methodical, 14-play, 75-yard drive. The drive culminated in Tagovailoa’s first touchdown pass of the game, a one-yard toss to CJ Dippre after faking a handoff and rolling left. 

The Terps jumped in front, leading 13-10. One more stop by the defense gave Maryland a chance to build the lead, but time expired in the half before things really got going.

A putrid third-quarter seemed to evaporate any chances Maryland had into thin air. Outscored 17-0 — watching a 13-10 lead flip into a 27-13 hole — the Terps were stymied by the second-ranked Buckeyes, on the brink of a complete collapse. 

83 seconds later, they were right back in the game. 

Taking over with 16 seconds left in the third period, Tagovailoa orchestrated a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to respond in a flash. Chalking up 55 passing yards on four attempts, he capped the drive with a five-yard keeper into the end zone. Tagovailoa connected with Jacob Copeland for two points following the touchdown, bringing Maryland within six, at 27-21. 

Ohio State responded with a touchdown, but a blocked extra point was returned by Jakorian Bennett for two points, leaving the Terps down ten with a glimmer of hope remaining. 

Needing points, the Terps’ offense embarked on a second-straight touchdown drive. Jeshaun Jones moved Maryland near midfield with a gain of 16 on an option pitch, and then Tagovailoa took the top off.

The redshirt junior uncorked a high-arcing deep ball, dropping it right into the hands of Rakim Jarrett, who completed the catch before going down inside Ohio State’s ten-yard line. Three plays later, Tagovailoa and the offense stayed on the field with fourth down looming. 

He took the snap before sprinting to his right. With just mere inches separating him from the sideline, Tagovailoa ripped a pass to Jones, cutting the deficit to three with just under ten minutes remaining. His second passing touchdown of the game rejuvenated a crowd that could feel a potential upset brewing. 

“It was just the feel of the game,” Tagovailoa said. “Us as competitors, especially when you’re playing against a team like [Ohio State], you always want to make good use of your opportunities.”

The Terps’ luck ran out from there.

They got the ball back after forcing another punt, but the offense finally went cold again and after giving it back to Ohio State, the deficit was six with less than 45 seconds to play. The offensive line woes from the past two weeks ignited on Maryland’s last chance to steal the victory. Tagovailoa was sacked on back-to-back plays, being stripped for a touchdown to make it a two-score game in the closing moments. 

While a 13-point loss is certainly not something the Terps will celebrate, it was still an all-time performance for their leader against one of the best teams in the nation. It was Tagovailoa’s sixth game this season passing for at least 250 yards and his fifth game with multiple touchdowns. He completed passes to nine different receivers, spreading the wealth the entire night.

Having suffered two straight tough losses, the elements for a third straight bad loss loomed heavily ahead of kick off.  When the clock hit zero, the Terps lost, but Tagovailoa left no doubts about his ability to hang with the best of them. 

“The way [Tagovailoa] played, I was glad to see three, look like the old three today,” coach Mike Locksley said. ”He’s taken a lot of stuff around here with how he’s played the last couple of games. He went and worked his tail off this week…he gave us a chance and that’s all you can ask of your quarterback.”